‘FALSE. COMPLETE FICTION’: Blinken Flatly Denies Bombshell Oct. 7 Hostage Claim

Former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed back on a report by the left-wing Israeli media outlet Haaretz that he nixed an offer by Hamas to release all the hostages in exchange for nothing on Oct. 7, 2023, the day they were kidnapped by Hamas and brought into Gaza.

“For the record, this is false. Complete fiction,” he posted tersely on X.

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In an article published Tuesday, Haaretz claimed that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called Blinken the very same day that Hamas abducted the hostages and told him about the deal.

“There are hundreds of hostages in Gaza, and among them, in my estimation, dozens of civilians. They need to be released now. I offered the Israelis to mediate a quick deal for their release, but they are not interested,” Al Thani said, according to Haaretz.

The article claims that Blinken then responded, “Let’s wait. I will speak with Netanyahu personally.” According to the article, he added, “Right now, the situation is complex. Israel is still under attack, and there’s no one to talk to. We will wait three days.”

The article was reportedly based on a soon-to-be-released book titled “Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment” that is said to contain bombshell revelations about the Israeli government, such as a claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned about Oct. 7 by the leader of the United Arab Emirates.

The Haaretz article cites anonymous and vague sourcing, with direct quotes attributed to Al Thani, Blinken, and other high-ranking officials without reporting who heard those discussions.

Netanyahu also pushed back against the claim of forewarnings from the UAE and threatened to sue Haaretz.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on the matter, saying, “The press reports are false. No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7th. If there was any relevant information , it was passed through intelligence channels between the two countries.”